Back from Phuket!!

Hmm, four days seemed to have flown past in Phuket. Well, Phuket isn't actually a very big place. It's about the size of Singapore with a population of only 300 000. The trip was very enjoyable, especially more fun with my army mates. It's gonna be our last gathering before the majority of us ORD within the next 3-5 days. As for me, I'm left with five days to go. Alright, let's see how the trip went......

Phuket Day One

Chye Soon and I woke up at 4.15am n took a ride with Jun Liang on his dad's cab. All of us were seemingly tired from the lack of sleep. None of us had anywhere more than 4hrs of sleep. Changi airport was pretty empty when we reached there. Waited for the rest to come while we try to get some shut-eye. After about 30min later, everyone was present n we went to check-in to our flight, TR152. We had some snack at the canteen to fill our empty stomach before proceeding to our plane.

At the waiting area, Caucasians dominated the number of passengers. We were the only few Singaporeans boarding the plane. Went up the plane after a short wait, my first time on a budget airline. What I saw when I went in wasn't what I had expected. The plane is pretty spacious n the seats are comfortable. The only down point was the absence of food, which is a luxury we always have on normal airlines. However, the flight is only a short 90min, so we weren't quite bothered by it. Up we went into the sky, with the sun rising in the horizon. The sight was breathtaking. I was reading the newspapers brought in by Hao Pin while the rest slept through the journey.

The flight was ahead of schedule n we reached Phuket 15min earlier than expected. When the plane was touching down the airstrip, I could see the massive number of attap-houses near the shoreline as well as the padi fields. I looked in awe as the plane slowly descended n landed in the midst of rice field n tropical rain forest. The airport is located in the midst of villages, one of a kind I’ve seen.

We left the plane patiently n settled the immigration matters. Then, we left the airport n boarded a van, heading for our hotel at Patong. I could see the road being dominated by the likes Toyota Vios n Altis. Not a surprise to me since these two Toyota models are being manufactured in Thailand. Took some pictures along the way n the road condition is way much better than Bangkok. Stopped twice on our way to the hotel. The first stop was to buy some printed t-shirts n the second one was damn cool. We played go-kart!!

All of us sat on the little vehicle for the very first time. Joyce didn't play n so she was assigned with the task of taking pictures. Haha.. The karting was super fun n we thoroughly enjoyed the mini race among the nine of us. Daniel is a freaking reckless driver, ramming into some of our vehicles at tight corners, refusing the release his foot off the accelerator. When the race ended about 10min later, all of us wanted to kill him!! Haha, he's a crazy driver. No regrets spending 400baht(S$17) for the 10min of thrill n excitement.

With the race over, we went straight to our hotel, but our rooms were not ready yet, leaving us with no choice but to leave our bags in the hotel while we went out into the streets for a little walk. Hit the famous Patong beach straightaway. The water is clear blue n the sand is even softer than Sentosa. No signs of devastation left behind by the 2004 Asian Tsunami. The only signs were the new houses that are under construction near the coastline. All of us can't wait to strip into our beach wear n jump into the sea. Took some pictures n we went back onto the streets, searching for a restaurant to have our much needed lunch.

Our first meal in Phuket was in a posh restaurant, costing us a bomb by Thailand's standard. We left the restaurant feeling a little heart ache. Went straight back to the hotel to check-in after lunch. The freaking hot weather on the streets was killing us; we need some air-con!! Sheesh, thank god our rooms were ready n we could finally take a rest.

Spent the next hour unpacking our bags n we hit the beach right after everything was settled. The place is heaven. Nice water, great sand n fantastic scenery. Haha, had hell lots of fun playing with a volleyball in the water. Joyce joined in, which turned out to be her one n only time on the beach. Haha, this girl kept sleeping in the room. Read on to find out.

Played till late into the evening n we went back to the hotel for a bath. It was dinner time soon n we went searching for something nice to eat. Walking around, we settled for a seafood restaurant. Ordered lobsters!! Man, it was delicious. But it came at a price. Each one of us had to fork out 700baht(S$29.50) for the meal, giving a total of S$295. It was expensive, but the quality of the food was worth it.

Went shopping at the night market along the streets after dinner. I didn't buy much though. The meals n the 7 t-shirts I bought during the first stop almost sucked up all my cash. Went back to hotel n played poker cards at the bar, enjoying some cool refreshing drinks. It was 12am when we decided to stop. I was exhausted n went back to the room n collapsed onto the bed without even brushing my teeth. Day one in Phuket ended. More to come tomorrow.